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The Ultimate Chilli Con Carne

The Ultimate Chilli Con Carne is a modern Fusion recipe (based on a Mexican original) for a classic stew of beef and black beans with spices and flavours from Africa and the Americas. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Fusion version of: The Ultimate Chilli Con Carne.

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

180 minutes

Total Time:

205 minutes

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesBeef RecipesBean RecipesFusion RecipesFusion Recipes

This is a fusion version of the classic Mexican dish that adds peanut butter, chipotle chillies (smoked and dried jalapeño), as well as coffee (an essential ingredient in many Malagasy and Seychellois dishes) as well as chocolate; yielding a fusion of flavours from the Americas and Africa. The more usual kidney beans are replaced with black beans; which are both more authentic and my preferred bean type. Note the the peanut butter will add richness, but it also reduces the heat from the chillies, so you will need more of these than you think. This is a one-pot dish that's finished in the oven, so though this is slow-cooked for a long time, much of that time is hands-off. For those who want this ultra-quick you could cook in the pressure cooker on high for 50 minutes rather than in the oven for 3 hours.

Ingredients:

2 dried ancho chillies
1 dried chipotle chilli
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½kg (3 2/3 lbs) braising steak, cut into 4cm cubes – meat from the brisket, short rib, blade or chuck steak are all good
2 onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
½ tsp instant espresso powder
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1l beef or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
small piece of cinnamon stick
2 tbsp semolina, polenta or Mexican masa flour
25g dark chocolate (70-80% cocoa solids)
400g (14 oz) tin black beans, drained but not rinsed (optional)

For the Chilli Sauce:
1 habanero
4 tbsp oil

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 140C (120C fan/285F/gas mark 1).

Over a high heat, toast the whole chillies on all sides until you can smell them cooking, then remove and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and toast the peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they just start to change colour (about 90 seconds), then grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Mix with the smoked paprika and oregano (this is a standard tex-mex seasoning), then set aside.

Return the casserole to the heat, add half the oil and heat until shimmering. Fry the beef in batches, adding more oil if you need to, until the meat has browned on all sides, then set aside. Reduce the heat and fry the onions in the pan for about 8 mins until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Working fast, add the meat and juices, the spice mix, tomato purée, peanut butter and coffee to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring to coat the meat until everything is thick and gloopy, then pour in the vinegar and stock.

Add the toasted chillies back into the casserole, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon and some salt. Bring to a simmer and stir well, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 3hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender but not quite falling apart.

Remove the casserole from the oven, put back on the stove and remove the lid. Simmer the sauce for 5 mins, then stir in the semolina flour and simmer for 2-3 mins more. Finely grate over the chocolate, stir through with the beans and simmer for a minute more to heat through. Fish out the chillies, then leave everything to rest for at least 15 mins. In the meantime, prepare the chilli paste: combine the chillies removed from the pot with 1 habanero in a small food processor with the oil. Whizz to a paste.

Bring the pan to the table. Serve with bowls of accompaniments and the chilli paste to add heat.